Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcomed recent developments on the retained firefighters. However, I have been contacted by several firefighters who are about to retire. They are calling for a temporary moratorium so long-serving firefighters can stay on past 60 years. Many fit and highly experienced personnel are having to retire as we speak and have to go on the dole when they should be allowed to stay on. When it has been found difficult to recruit new emergency personnel in the numbers needed to provide these important services, it makes sense to make use of the existing human resources we have by extending the retirement age like other local authority staff. There is a built-in safeguard where firefighters must undergo a detailed medical each year from the age of 55 years. If you do not pass this then they have to retire. Common sense is needed here. We need to keep them in place. People are living longer and it is important we look at this.

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